Smoked Brisket Sandwiches
Brisket sandwiches are best kept simple. All you need is your favorite hamburger buns, pickles, red onion, and some great brisket. For the best result, consider wet aging your brisket. To start, purchase a brisket flat from a local butcher that comes in a vacuum-sealed package with the kill date on the label. Meat purchased at a grocery store will only have a sell-by date which isn’t what you want. Then, bring it home, ensure that no air bubbles are present in the package, and leave it on the lowest shelf of your fridge in an area where it won’t be disturbed to wet age for 30-45 days from the kill date, not the date you brought it home.
Equipment
- Z Grills Smoker Grill
- Z Grills Hickory Wood Pellets
- Probe Thermometer
- Tongs
Ingredients
- 1 (4-pound) certified Angus or Prime beef brisket, preferably wet aged
- Kosher salt
- Coarsely ground black pepper
- 6 hamburger buns
- 3 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
- 18 dill pickle slices
- 1 red onion, thinly sliced
Instructions
- Remove the brisket from its packaging, dry it with paper towels, and transfer it to a cutting board.
- Use a sharp knife to remove any excess fat. Brisket flats don’t have much fat.
- Generously season the brisket with salt and black pepper. Season all sides of the brisket, then pat the seasonings into the meat.
- Leave the brisket to rest at room temperature for 1 hour to bring it to room temperature.
- Preheat your Z Grills pellet grill (preferably with branded hickory pellets) or other wood pellet grill to 225 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Close the lid and smoke for 6 hours or until the internal temperature reaches 190 degrees Fahrenheit. You want to start taking the temperature at the halfway mark.
- Remove the brisket flat from the grates and rest for 30-45 minutes, then slice the brisket against the grain.
- Brush buns with melted butter and lightly toast.
- Assemble the sandwiches. Start by adding brisket to the bottom bun, top with three pickle slices and sliced red onion, followed by the top bun.
- Enjoy.
Notes
This recipe yields enough brisket for 8-10 people. Store leftovers by cooling to room temperature, then tightly wrap the leftover brisket in plastic and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
Fat side up or down ?
Doesn’t really matter I would say.
It’s better if you reach an interal meat temperature of 205F. Do not remove all the fat around the brisket, leave a thin layer around 1/4″. Before seasoing your brisket, apply regular mustard to the entire brisket. Doing this will make your rub to “stick” to the meat and won’t add any mustard flavor, so don’t worry. An excellent Texas’ style rub I always use is: Salt (3) – Pepper (1) – Brown sugar (1.5) – Paprika (1) – Cumin (.25) – Garlic Powder (1).
Last but not least, wait at least 1hr before cutting, this is a very important step if you want to get a juicy meat. Brisket should rest wrapped with butcher paper or aluminum foil at room temperature.
Depending on the brisket size, expect a long smoking time. I’ve never did less than 9hrs, so start early in the morning!